born Oct. 19, 1895, Flushing, N.Y., U.S.
died Jan. 26, 1990, Amenia, N.Y.
U.S. architectural critic, urban planner, and cultural historian.
After studying at the City College of New York and at the New School for Social Research, he taught at various universities and wrote for The Dial , and other magazines. In works such as Technics and Civilization (1934), The City in History (1961), and The Myth of the Machine (3 vol., 1967–70), Mumford analyzed the effects of technology and urbanization on human societies, criticizing the dehumanizing tendencies of modern technological society and urging that it be brought into harmony with humanistic goals and aspirations. See also {{link=urban planning">urban planning .